Samsung, Oppo hit with lawsuit in China over bloatware

Smartphone vendors Samsung and Oppo have been targeted by a consumer regulator in China after users of their phones complained about pre-installed software, The Register reported.

The Shanghai Consumer Rights Protection Commission filed separate lawsuits against the manufacturers following a review of 20 smartphones to find out which were most laden with bloatware.

The Commission found the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the Oppo Find 7a were two of the worst models on the market, as they came pre-loaded with 44 and 71 apps respectively.

"Given the behaviour of mobile phone manufacturers against the legitimate rights and interests of many consumers, it is necessary to correct such unreasonable manner[s] through public interest litigation," China's Consumers' Association said on its website.

Samsung and Oppo each have 15 days to formally reply to the suits.

The news comes just two weeks after Samsung bloatware found on Windows PCs was accused of disabling Windows Update, leaving Samsung machines potentially vulnerable to cyber attack.